Helleborus plant named ‘COSEH 1060’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Helleborus  plant named ‘COSEH 1060’, characterized by its upright and mounding plant habit; uniform and freely flowering habit; dark green-colored leaves; freely flowering habit; single white-colored flowers tinged with greyed red; and good garden performance.

Botanical designation: Helleborus niger×Helleborus lividus.

Cultivar denomination: ‘COSEH 1060’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Helleborus plant, botanically known as Helleborus niger×Helleborus lividus and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘COSEH 1060’.

The new Helleborus plant is a product of a planned breeding program in Glandorf, Germany. The objective of the breeding program was to create new uniform Helleborus plants with unique and attractive plant habit, leaf and flower coloration and resistance to pests.

The new Helleborus plant originated from a cross-pollination conducted by the Inventor in Glandorf, Germany in December, 2006 of an unnamed proprietary seedling selection of Helleborus niger, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with an unnamed proprietary seedling selection of Helleborus lividus, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Helleborus plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination grown in a controlled greenhouse environment in Glandorf, Germany in December, 2008.

Asexual reproduction of the new Helleborus plant by divisions in a controlled greenhouse environment in Glandorf, Germany since March, 2009 has shown that the unique features of this new Helleborus plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Helleborus have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘COSEH 1060’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘COSEH 1060’ as a new and distinct Helleborus plant:

-   -   1. Upright and mounding plant habit.     -   2. Uniform and freely flowering habit.     -   3. Dark green-colored leaves.     -   4. Freely flowering habit.     -   5. Single white-colored flowers tinged with greyed red.     -   6. Good garden performance.

Compared to plants of the parent selections, plants of the new Helleborus are more uniformly mounded and are more freely flowering.

Plants of the new Helleborus can be compared to plants of Helleborus niger×Helleborus lividus ‘COSEH 700’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,003. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Glandorf, Germany, plants of the new Helleborus differed primarily from plants of ‘COSEH 700’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Helleborus had lighter green-colored leaves         than plants of ‘COSEH 700’.     -   2. Plants of the new Helleborus and ‘COSEH 700’ differed in         sepal color as plants of ‘COSEH 700’ had light green-colored         sepals tinged with greyed purple.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Helleborus plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Helleborus plant.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘COSEH 1060’ grown in a container.

The photograph on the second sheet is a close-up view of a typical flower of ‘COSEH 1060’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations, measurements and values describe plants grown during the late autumn in 15-cm containers in a glass-covered greenhouse in Glandorf, Germany and under cultural practices typical of commercial Helleborus production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 12° C. to 32° C. and night temperatures ranged from 3° C. to 18° C. Plants were 14 months old when the photographs and the description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2007 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Helleborus niger×Helleborus lividus ‘COSEH     1060’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Unnamed proprietary seedling             selection of Helleborus niger, not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Unnamed proprietary seedling             selection of Helleborus lividus, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—By tissue culture.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About two months at             temperatures about 12° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About six             months at temperatures about 4° C. to 15° C.         -   Root description.—Thick to thin, fleshy; white to brown in             color.         -   Rooting habit.—Sparse. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant and growth habit.—Herbaceous perennial; upright and             mounding plant habit with flowers held just above the foliar             plane; plant shape is roughly globular to broadly ovate; low             vigor to moderately vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 23.9 cm.         -   Plant diameter (area of spread).—About 36.1 cm. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Leaves arranged in a basal rosette; leaves             palmately compound with five leaflets per leaf.         -   Leaf length.—About 14.7 cm.         -   Leaf width.—About 17.4 cm.         -   Leaflet length.—About 9.2 cm.         -   Leaflet width.—About 3.8 cm.         -   Leaf shape.—Palmate; orbicular to reniform in outline.         -   Leaflet shape.—Elliptic to narrowly ovate and narrowly             obovate.         -   Leaflet apex.—Acute.         -   Leaflet base.—Attenuate.         -   Leaflet margin.—Serrate.         -   Leaflet texture, upper and lower surfaces.—Smooth, glabrous;             leathery.         -   Leaflet venation pattern.—Pinnate.         -   Leaflet color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to             137A. Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 148A. Fully             developed leaves, upper surface: Darker than between 147A             and N189A; venation, close to 144A, at the base, strongly             tinged with close to 200A to 200B. Fully developed leaves,             lower surface: Close to 148B; venation, close to 183B.         -   Petioles.—Length: About 11.9 cm. Diameter: About 5 mm.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color,             upper and lower surfaces: Close to 200C heavily dotted with             close to 147D. -   Flower description:     -   -   Flower shape and habit.—Single rotate flowers arranged in             panicles; freely and uniform flowering habit with about             twelve flowers per panicle and about 72 flowers and flower             buds developing per plant; flowers facing mostly outwardly.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Natural flowering season.—Plants begin flowering about ten             months after planting; plants flower from late autumn into             the winter in Germany.         -   Flower longevity on the plant.—About ten days; flowers not             persistent.         -   Flower buds.—Length: About 2.2 cm. Diameter: About 1.3 cm.             Shape: Broadly ovate to oblong. Color: Close to 157D heavily             tinged with close to 182B to 182D.         -   Inflorescence height (including peduncle).—About 22.9 cm.         -   Inflorescence diameter.—About 12.8 cm.         -   Flower diameter.—About 8.1 cm.         -   Flower depth (height).—About 3.8 cm.         -   Petals.—Transformed into nectaries.         -   Sepals.—Quantity and arrangement: Five, arranged in a single             whorl. Length: About 4 cm. Width: About 3 cm. Shape: Broadly             ovate. Apex: Obtuse to broad and bluntly acute. Base:             Broadly cuneate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower             surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color: When opening, upper             surface: Close to 157C; towards the margins, close to 155C;             lowest sepals, close to 145C with margins tinged with close             to 182C. When opening, lower surface: Close to 155A and             157D; towards the base, tinged with close to 182D; lowest             sepals, close to 182C. Fully opened, upper surface: Close to             between 150D and 157C; lowest sepals, close to 182C tinged             with close to 195A to 195B; with development, color becomes             closer to 144B with margins tinged with close to 177D and             lowest sepals becoming closer to 144B heavily tinged with             close to 197B. Fully opened, lower surface: Close to 150D;             towards the base, tinged with close to 182D; lowest sepals,             close to 182B.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 17.5 cm. Diameter: About 8 mm.             Aspect: About 15° from vertical. Strength: Strong. Texture:             Smooth, glabrous. Color: Close to 147D, heavily dotted with             close to 184A to 184B.         -   Pedicels.—Length: About 2.5 cm. Diameter: About 3 mm.             Aspect: About 30° from peduncle axis. Strength: Moderately             strong. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color: Close to 147D,             heavily dotted with close to 184B.         -   Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity per flower:             About 100. Filament length: About 1.6 cm. Filament color:             Close to NN155D. Anther shape: Reniform. Anther length:             About 2 mm. Anther color: Close to between 1B and 2B. Pollen             amount: Scarce. Pollen color: Close to 2D. Pistils: Quantity             per flower: About six. Pistil length: About 1.1 cm. Stigma             shape: Club-shaped. Stigma color: Close to NN155D. Style             length: About 1 cm. Style color: Close to NN155D. Ovary             color: Close to 145A to 145B. Nectaries (transformed             petals): Quantity per flower: About 15. Length: About             1.1 cm. Diameter: About 3.5 mm. Shape: Narrowly triangular,             flattened tubular. Color, immature, inner and outer             surfaces: Close to 144C. Color, mature, inner and outer             surfaces: Close to N144A; towards the apex, close to 154B;             with development, color becoming closer to 151A with apices,             closer to 151D.         -   Seeds and fruits.—Seed and fruit development have not been             observed on plants of the new Helleborus. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Helleborus have been observed     to have good garden performance and to tolerate rain, wind and high     temperatures about 35° C. and to be hardy to USDA Hardiness Zone 5. -   Pathogen & pest resistance: Plants of the new Helleborus have not     been observed to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to     Helleborus plants. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Helleborus plant named ‘COSEH 1060’ as illustrated and described. 